...NaNoWriMo, you say?...

I was just about to post something about the characters I've been working on over the past couple weeks in preparation for NaNoWriMo, when I realized some of you may not know what the heck that actually is. Since I'll be referencing it quite a bit over the next two months, I thought I'd fill you in.

For those of you who don't know or understand what National Novel Writing Month is, it's a designated time of the year where writers can challenge themselves to get large portions of their Work in Progress (WIP) written. 

Here's what you need to know about NaNoWriMo:

• Purpose: Work on writing a project of your choice - novel, multiple short stories, articles, etc. Technically it's for novel writing, but I say use it for whatever you want to write as long as you have 50K words to set as your goal.
• When: the entire month of November
• The goal: 50,000 words or more to be deemed a "NaNoWriMo Winner"
• Process: Everyday you copy and paste your WIP into the NaNo words counter and it generates and tracks your progress, thus also generating a breakdown of how much longer you have to meet your goal, your progress compared to other days, how many words a day you need to write in order to reach your goal, and so on. 
• Completion: By November 30th at midnight, the NaNoWriMo elves will compute all data and deem those who have reached or exceeded their goal of 50K words or more WINNERS! Those who do not win don't get a loser badge or anything, at least not that I'm aware of.
• Why: Because it's a great way to get your butt in gear!

The great thing about NaNoWriMo is that people who share your love and enthusiasm for writing and storytelling come together to encourage and support each other. Everyone is working toward the same goal--getting shit done! You have access to writing buddies and pep talks, live chats with authors, question forums, personal goal trackers, encouragement emails, brainstorming session, etc. Basically, NaNoWriMo provides writers the opportunity and excuse to lock yourself away and write-write-write.

If you don't make your goal, you're not flogged or stoned or reprimanded. This is for YOU! NaNoWriMo just helps get you motivated to do great things, to start or finish that book you've always wanted to write. 

If you have always wanted to write, but never knew where to start, check out their website and welcome kits!